By Chance In Oxford

26. Lorenzo

                                                                                9 Months later

It was a steaming hot July day, I was sitting in a hospital room waiting for Athena to go into labor. She was so beautiful. Everything in the pregnancy was working out just fine, our baby was to be a healthy baby girl. Melody had been home with my mom for the day while she gave birth. Then it was time. The room was surrounded by people in gowns, hair coverings, and gloves. Everything was going fine, except having to see Athena in pain. Until it wasn't, doctors had rushed around screaming about how her vital signals were down and that she was unconscious. My heart dropped, this couldn't be happening. I couldn't lose my person. They pushed me out of the room and that was it. She was dead. My love, my person, my soulmate, my heart, she was gone. I stood at her hospital bed side crying, screaming, trying to wake her up but she wouldn't budge. So now I was alone, left with two children to raise by myself, and most of all I didn't have the person who taught me everything I know about feelings. I couldn't go on like this, the only reason I needed to stay alive was for these children. I protected her from rival mafias, gangs, my dad, people trying to kill her, but I couldn't protect her from damn childbirth. I didn't know what to do with myself, I ended just like she had. "Sir, I'm sorry but we are going to have to take her away.", a nurse said. I nodded and watched as they wheeled the bed away from me. I couldn't help but cry as she disappeared around the corner. I went into the newborn area and saw my beautiful little child. "What would you like to name her sir? Would you like to hold her?", a doctor said. I cradled her in my arms slowly and trembled. "Athena, I would like to name her Athena.", I said. It was the least I could do after I had just lost the love of my life. The doctor wrote some things down on paper and told me I was ready to be discharged. I couldn't help but feel torn between being happy that I had a child that was healthy and beautiful or being in excruciating pain because I lost her. The funeral was set. It was a nice service, kind people coming by to talk about how amazing she was. I had flown her aunt in from Georgia and she had met me for the first time in person. Her grave was set right next to my mothers. I had lost the two most important women in my life and now I had to visit two marble stones instead of feeling their warm embraces. I had lost everything, everything good in my life. It was all gone. A few days later we went to the grave site to visit her. "Bring some flowers to mommy,"I had told Melody as she waddled there with Athena cradled in my arms. I felt so much pain that they would live with no mother, but I was determined to raise them alone, there was no way in hell I would ever be with another woman. Athena was mine, my only person and I wasn't going to change that now, or ever. Later on in the day we had walked into the backyard under the giant willow tree in the back of the yard. Athena had always loved it here before she died and I tried my hardest to take the girls there whenever I could. We sat under the tree, baby Athena laying on a white breathable blanket, sleeping away. Melody sat in my lap as I read her a book. Her hands ran across my knees sweetly and I had gently played with her hair as I read. Out of the corner of my eye I found what Melody had told me about, "Daddy look, there's a butterfly!", she said. I glanced over and to my surprise found a beautiful blue butterfly that had landed right on little Athena as she slept. Melody held out her hand and the butterfly landed on it and sat with us the rest of the afternoon. It was blue just like the one in the painting the day she and I met. And now I knew that I had met an angel in person, she was mine, she was real, and she had come back to say hi again.